In many industries and especially the electronics industry a plurality of components, such as integrated circuits, are encapsulated simultaneously in a common mold. The individual components must then be separated into singulated packages and properly positioned in shipping and/or handling containers. One problem that arises is damage to the packages during the transfer.
Typical packages that are subjected to this process are a Fine Pitch Ball Grid Array (FBGA) and similar electronic packages. These electronic packages are generally rectangular in cross-section and include rows of solder bumps or spheres on the lower surface, the solder bumps or spheres being electrical contacts for the package as well as a means for mounting the package on a surface, i.e. a printed circuit board or the like. It is important that the solder bumps or spheres not be contacted during the alignment and transfer procedures to prevent inducing damage to the solder bumps or spheres. In the case of the FBGA package, the distance from the solder bump or sphere feature to the edge of the package is very small and may be less than 0.6 mm. Thus, there is substantially no bottom side edge which can be used to support the package during alignment and transfer procedures. Also, in many instances the sides or edges of the package are used for alignment purposes during "pick and place" procedures so that damage to the sides and/or edges of the packages should be avoided during the alignment and transfer procedures.
In addition to the need to prevent damage to the package and any solder bumps or spheres, if present, there is generally a problem with a difference in package pitch between the source of the packages in the separation fixture and the pitch of the packages in the shipping and/or handling containers. In the electronics industry, for example, the shipping and/or handling containers generally include pockets defined in a process tray, the pockets being regularly spaced in both rows and columns to enhance "pick and place" procedures. There may also be a difference in the number of packages in a row or column at the separation fixture and a row or column at the shipping and/or handling containers. This creates a situation where partial rows or columns in either the source or destination must be addressed. Similarly, a large number of different package sizes, ranging from 2.5 mm to 30 mm in the electronics industry, and shapes, ranging from square to rectangular outlines, create a situation that must be considered. Further, the time to accomplish package alignment and transfer must be minimized, generally exceeding a rate of one package per second, while generally maintaining package integrity within a lot and providing proper final orientation.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide component alignment and transfer apparatus which solves the above problems.
It is a purpose of the present invention to provide new and improved component alignment and transfer apparatus.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved transfer head for component alignment and transfer apparatus.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide new and improved component alignment and transfer apparatus in which package spacing is quickly and easily changed from an aligned position to a correct spacing for transfer into shipping and/or handling containers.